Review #36: Maximum Ride Forever by James Patterson

Book: Maximum Ride ForeverAuthor: James PattersonDescription: The ninth and final(?!) book in the YA series Maximum RidePublishing Information: Released May 18, 2015 by Little, Brown and CompanyPages: 383First Sentence: Hey, you!GoodreadsBarnes and NobleAmazonIndieBound(taken from Goodreads)

THE NINTH AND ULTIMATE MAXIMUM RIDE STORY IS HERE! Legions of Max fans won’t be disappointed by this encore episode in the beloved series about the incredible adventures of a teenage girl who can fly. As Maximum Ride boldly navigates a post-apocalyptic world, she and her broken flock are roaming the earth, searching for answers to what happened. All will be revealed in this last spectacular “ride”- a brand-new grand finale featuring all of the nonstop action, twists and turns that readers can rely on in a blockbuster Patterson page turner!

Cover Review: I hated this cover at first. However, in real life, it’s really shiny and dramatic and I love it. Still, this series has more cover changes than it does books, so I guess it doesn’t really matter when there’s likely going to be three new covers revealed tomorrow.Well, I never thought I’d be reviewing the ninth book of a series that probably could’ve ended at three.
I also never thought that I’d like it this much.
Look, let’s get a few things out of the way. Was this book necessary? Nope. Was it just churned out to make more money on an already incredibly successful series? Almost certainly.
I was exploring James Patterson’s website in an effort to ensure that this would really be the last book this time. I mean, the description for the eighth book was:

Are you ready for the final chapter? Are you ready for the ultimate flight? Because THIS IS IT. One last incredible, explosive adventure with an astonishing ending that no one could have seen coming.

But then suddenly, another book! I mean, you would think that an eighth book described as “the final chapter” and “one last incredible, explosive adventure” would be… I don’t know… the last book?
HA.

But is it good? I mean…
The way that James Patterson’s books are written make them so incredibly easy to read. Every chapter end is a cliffhanger that forces you to keep reading, and every chapter is only like, three pages long. I read this book in its entirety on the day I got it.
It’s not my favorite book in the series by any means, but I did really like it. The narrative wasn’t as funny as it is in the other books, but Max is still snarky and Angel is still creepy and Total is still a talking dog who says more insightful things than I do.
I put off reading this book for so long – because it is so unneeded and it’s not as if James Patterson is running low on supporters – but I genuinely hated the ending of Nevermore and I wasn’t about to let a new ending pass me by. Plus, you don’t just get eight books into a series and then refuse to read the ninth.
Ten is where I draw my line.
Probably.
I don’t have much to say on the specific plot of this book (I feel like I’m one of the few people who have actually made it few the first eight books and I’ll be spoiling anyone else who hasn’t). I had an issue with an element of the ending (which I’m trying my best not to spoil, maybe skip to the next paragraph just in case), simply because it sent a bad message that was really unexpected and unnecessary. It started to seem like fan-fiction instead of the kick-butt adventure story it normally is. Still, I liked the ending much better than Nevermore and maybe things are a little different when the world is ending. Whatever.
Stepping back and thinking about it, this series is a little ridiculous. Plot lines are built up and then completely dropped, characters are killed but then not dead in so many ways, and The Final Warning was so off-topic that you could probably convince me that it was actually called Maximum Ride: The Earth Day Special.But… they’re such fun books. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read the first book, and I kind of want everyone to read them. I’ve never finished one and thought, “Well that was bad.” I mean, there have been a couple of, “LOL, what are you doing, James?” moments, but I’ve always enjoyed them.
I don’t even know what to say, because I feel like the last six books or so are just James Patterson dragging out the story to make more money, which is hard. Like, if the author doesn’t really care about the story and the characters, why should I keep reading? I guess the simple answer is because I care about the characters and the story, and I don’t really want to pass up the opportunity to read six more adventures if I’ve enjoyed them every time.

I don’t regret reading this book one bit. I started reading this series five years ago, and nine books later I’m pretty sad that it’s over… but it better be over this time. If you’re debating whether picking up this “encore” as a fan of the eight books, I think it’s worth it. The ending is much more satisfying than that of Nevermore, and, as always, it’s just a really fun read. As for anyone who has yet to pick up this series, I highly recommend at least reading the first three books. Honestly, I love this entire series, but the first three will always be my favorite. Don’t let me stop you from continuing on… however, you could probably skip Max. They eat pizza and save Max’s kidnapped mom. That’s pretty much it.
4/5 stars